Wednesday, April 27, 2016

The next
GRG meeting will be on Tuesday, May 31st at 6:30pm and the topic up for discussion
will be young adult novels.

Last night, GRG discussed disasters, both man-made and natural. Today, as we commemorate the 5th anniversary of the deadly central Alabama tornadoes of April 27, 2011, don't forget about the many other world-wide disasters that have affected and/or are affecting our planet.

The PBS
program NOVA: Mount St. Helens: Back From The Dead will show you the awesome
power and majesty of nature’s most destructive force: the volcano. When Mount
St. Helens erupted in 1980, every living thing in the blast zone was burned,
buried or otherwise destroyed. However, life began to bloom again, and
biologist Charlie Crisafulli documented the return of plant and animal life. Also,
the mountain, like the wildlife, is coming back to life. NOVA presents a
pioneering look at the interplay between biology and geology that may help
scientists predict future volcanic eruptions. 60 minutes.

Discover
how human beings react to danger–and what makes the difference between life and
death

Today, nine out of ten Americans live in places at significant risk of
earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. Tomorrow,
some of us will have to make split-second choices to save ourselves and our
families. How will we react? What will it feel like? Will we be heroes or
victims?

In her quest to answer these questions, award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley
traces human responses to some of recent history’s epic disasters, from the
explosion of the Mont Blanc munitions ship in 1917–one of the biggest
explosions before the invention of the atomic bomb–to the journeys of the
15,000 people who found their way out of the World Trade Center on September
11, 2001. To understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading
brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts. She even
has her own brain examined by military researchers and experiences, through
realistic simulations, what it might be like to survive a plane crash into the
ocean or to escape a raging fire.

Ripley comes back with precious wisdom about the surprising humanity of crowds,
the elegance of the brain’s fear circuits, and the stunning inadequacy of many
of our evolutionary responses. Most unexpectedly, she discovers the brain’s
ability to do much, much better–with just a little help.

The dust
storms that terrorized America's High Plains in the darkest years of the
Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since, and the stories of the
people that held on have never been fully told. Pulitzer Prize–winning New York
Times journalist and author Timothy Egan follows a half-dozen families and
their communities through the rise and fall of the region, going from sod homes
to new framed houses to huddling in basements with the windows sealed by damp
sheets in a futile effort to keep the dust out. He follows their desperate
attempts to carry on through blinding black blizzards, crop failure, and the
deaths of loved ones. Drawing on the voices of those who stayed and
survived—those who, now in their eighties and nineties, will soon carry their
memories to the grave—Egan tells a story of endurance and heroism against the
backdrop of the Great Depression.

As only great history can, Egan's book captures the very voice of the times:
its grit, pathos, and abiding courage. Combining the human drama of Isaac's Storm with the sweep of The American People in the Great Depression, The Worst
Hard Time is a lasting and important work of American history. Timothy Egan is a national enterprise reporter for the New York Times. He is
the author of four books and the recipient of several awards, including the
Pulitzer Prize.

At once
sobering and thrilling, this illustrated history recounts how, for the past
three hundred years, hurricanes have altered lives and landscapes along the
Georgia-South Carolina seaboard. A prime target for the fierce storms that
develop in the Atlantic, the region is especially vulnerable because of its
shallow, gradually sloping sea floor and low-lying coastline.

With an eye
on both natural and built environments, Fraser's narrative ranges from the
first documented storm in 1686 to recent times in describing how the lowcountry
has endured some of the severest effects of wind and water. This chronology of the
most notable lowcountry storms is also a useful primer on the basics of
hurricane dynamics.

Fraser
tells how the 800-ton Rising Sun foundered in open water near Charles Town
during the hurricane of 1700. About one hundred persons were aboard. All perished.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts, he describes the storm surge of an 1804
hurricane that submerged most of Tybee Island and swept over the fort on nearby
Cockspur Island, drowning soldiers and civilians. Readers may have their own
memories of Hurricanes Andrew, Opal, and Hugo. Although hurricanes frequently
lead to significant loss of life, Fraser recounts numerous gripping instances
of survival and rescue at sea and ashore.

The author
smoothly weaves the lowcountry's long social, political, and economic history
with firsthand reports and data accumulated by the National Weather Service and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Generously illustrated
with contemporary and historical photographs, this is a readable and
informative resource on one of nature's most awesome forces.

The
2000s—the first decade of the new millennium ushered in a new age of
information including the Internet and electronic media. The early years are
marked by economic slowdown, political divisiveness, and unprecedented
terrorism. U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq achieve their initial
goals, before devolving into bloody guerrilla conflicts. International
competition for energy resources escalates dramatically. The U.S. was attacked
in 2001 changing the face of New York City forever. In 2008, a time of change
started when Barack Obama was elected president. Through dozens of photos and
text see how the history of this decade unfolds.

Provides
timely and up-to-date facts, context, perspectives, and tools to make informed
decisions about nuclear energy.

• Surveys five decades of controversy and examines the effects of nuclear
disasters

• Explains
why nuclear power is being proposed as an important solution to the problem of
global climate change

• Supplies
opinions from experts and advocates regarding the future of the nuclear
industry

• Provides
overview information on technical topics such as the nuclear power cycle, from
uranium mine to waste storage; and the differences between reactor designs and
their associated benefits and risks

A
documentary about the exile of Futabaʼs residents, the region housing the
crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.The day after the magnitude 9.0
earthquake on March 11, 2011, Futaba locals heard the hydrogen explosion at
Reactor Number 1 and were showered with nuclear fallout. In response, the
Japanese government designated the whole town as an "exclusion zone"
and 1,400 of the town's residents fled to an abandoned high school 250
kilometers away. The entire community, including the Town Hall office, was
moved into the four-story building, making the residents nuclear refugees. The
film portrays the evacuees as the nuclear disaster situation changes over time.

Preparing
for the Worst details the best practices in anti-terrorism tactics and
preparing for disaster. This book is for typical American families, business
travelers, corporate executive management personnel, emergency first responders,
school administrators, and local government officials responsible for public
safety and emergency management.

Americans
are regularly bombarded with reports of disaster and tragedy in the daily news.
Catastrophes like earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, violent crimes, and
terrorism are so common and routine that many of us have become numb to the
stories. Without a heightened awareness, focused concern, and effective
planning, we have lost the edge that can save lives.

Do you know
what you should do to protect your family during a disaster? Does your neighbor
have the knowledge required to survive a catastrophic event? Part of the
solution is rooted in common sense, but much more depends upon effectively
applying learned survival skills. Americans need a helpful reference tool―a
Swiss army knife for handling today's threats. This book is that tool.

A former
U.S. Marine and Desert Storm veteran, Schaefer-Jones has experienced calamity
firsthand. He is also a concerned husband and the father of three young
children. While considering how he would personally handle a disastrous event
close to home, he came to realize that a comprehensive how-to guide was not
available―until now.

Sweatshops
in the early 1900s were notorious for overworking their employees in poor
conditions. Since many of the workers were immigrants in desperate need of a
job, employers forced the workers to labor through hours of overtime without
any compensation. One such sweatshop, The Triangle Waist Company, disregarded
the buildings safety codes, which led to a major fire in 1911. The company,
which occupied the top three floors of the 10-story Asch Building, burned
quickly, with large amounts of fabric and wood feeding the fire. With the exits
blocked, hundreds of workers frantically scrambled to save themselves any way
they could. The disaster would prove to be a driving force behind workers
rights.

The United
States has been shaped by the people and events of its past. This series
vividly describes events that had a major impact on U.S. history and introduces
young readers to the people who shaped them. The easy-to-read text, historic
art and photography, suggested activities, and clear, simple maps help bring to
life the cause of these events, their effects on people at the time, and their
significance today. This book explains the circumstances of factory labour in
the early 1900s that led to the tragic fire that killed 146 people.

On March
25, 1911, flames rapidly consumed everything within the Triangle Waist Company
factory, killing 146 workers. The victims, mostly young Jewish and Italian
immigrant women, died needlessly due to unsafe working conditions, such as
locked or blocked doors, narrow stairways, faulty fire escapes, and a lack of
sprinklers. Until September 11, 2001, the Triangle fire was the deadliest
workplace disaster in New York City history. Mass grief and outrage spread from
New York's Lower East Side across the country. Garment union membership
swelled, and New York politics shifted dramatically toward reform, paving the
way for the New Deal and, ultimately, the workplace standards expected today.
Through historic images, The New York City Triangle Factory Fire honors the
victims' sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for the
dignity of all working people.

From Booklist: Starting with an account of a deadly factory
fire that occurred four months prior to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, this
history traces the political and economic conditions that led to the horrific
tragedy. Getzinger defines such terms as shirtwaist and sweatshop, provides
essential historical, political, and labor-movement background, and reminds
readers that dangerous work conditions still exist. Separating documented
information from sensationalistic rumor, this evenhanded history is illustrated
throughout with fascinating period photos. Back matter includes a time line,
book and Web resources, and source notes for quotes. Grades 6-10. --Linda
Perkins

Triangle is
a poignantly detailed account of the 1911 disaster that horrified the country
and changed the course of twentieth-century politics and labor relations. On
March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire
broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Within minutes it spread to consume the building’s upper three stories. Firemen
who arrived at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their
ladders simply weren’t tall enough. People on the street watched in horror as
desperate workers jumped to their deaths. The final toll was 146 people—123 of
them women. It was the worst disaster in New York City history. Triangle is a
vibrant and immensely moving account that Bob Woodward calls, “A riveting
history written with flare and precision.”

On April
27, 2011, a powerful tornado ripped through the heart of Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
leaving 53 dead and a path of unimaginable devastation. In the aftermath,
Alabama coach Nick Saban and his football team went out into the community,
sharing its grief and aiding in the recovery. Together they forged an
unbreakable bond, and in a place where Saturdays are dedicated to Crimson Tide
football, "Let's play for Tuscaloosa" became a rallying cry, an emotional
touchstone that transcended the playing field.

Barrett Jones, a 300-pound tackle, went street by street with a chain saw
clearing debris. Long snapper Carson Tinker, who endured terrible personal
tragedy in the storm, emerged as the public face of Tuscaloosa's resilience.
Diehard fans Bob and Dana Dowling lost their home but saw a new one raised by
the muscle of Crimson Tide players. The rebuilding effort became a heartfelt
crusade; the football team was now competing for a cause much greater than a national
championship. In The Storm and the Tide, Lars Anderson chronicles the
rise of a team, the building of a dynasty and the resurgence of a town.

The most
startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca
Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they
do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community,
purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often provides.

A
Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism,
resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster's grief and disruption
and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision
of what society could become-one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more
collaborative and local.

At the end
of the nineteenth century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming
coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of
the nation’s burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above
Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an
exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial
prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon.
Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam.
Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering
down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000
people. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal.

Graced by David McCullough’s remarkable gift for writing richly textured,
sympathetic social history, The Johnstown Flood is an absorbing,
classic portrait of life in nineteenth-century America, of overweening
confidence, of energy, and of tragedy. It also offers a powerful historical
lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because
people are in positions of responsibility they are necessarily behaving
responsibly.

Visit us today!

The Emmet O'Neal Library, in the heart of Mountain Brook, Alabama, is one of our community's gems. In today's fast-paced world, we offer an amazing variety of resources and programs for people of all ages. In our award-winning library, you can enjoy the newest books, study an art collection online, read of ancient civilizations, learn a new language, research the latest business trends, or travel to distant worlds of the imagination.